In this guide, new users will learn how to register for an ORCID iD and how to add information to an ORCID profile. The guide covers the basics to get new users started quickly. Relevant support documentation from ORCID is linked periodically throughout if needed.
Contents
The Open Researcher and Contributor ID, most commonly known as ORCID, is a 16-digit unique identifier designed for researchers. ORCID is an open non-profit and community-based effort to create and maintain a registry of these identifiers. ORCID also provides transparent methods to link research activities and outputs to identifiers.
ORCIDs are designed as lifelong identifiers. It may be helpful to think of them like social security numbers for your research portfolio. If your name changes or if you move institutions, your identifier remains the same.
As unique identifiers, ORCIDs aim to prevent authorship confusion. Individuals with common names such as Jane Smith may be familiar with the experience of having another’s work attributed incorrectly to their name, and vice versa.
ORCID is not limited to specific platforms and non-proprietary. ORCID is linked to several identifier systems such as LinkedIn, Scopus Author ID, and ResearcherID. It is also connected to publishers such as Nature and funding agencies such as Wellcome Trust.
- Navigate to the ORCID homepage - https://orcid.org.
- To start registration, click SIGN IN/REGISTER at the top right-hand corner.
- There are four options for account creation on the Sign In page:
- Email registration - ‘Register now’, located beneath the sign-in button
- Access through your institution
- Sign in with Google
- Sign in with Facebook
This guide only covers Option A - email registration.
- Fill out the form with your first and last name, and institutional email address.
- Create a password containing:
- 8 or more characters
- 1 letter or symbol
- 1 number
- OPTIONAL: Opt-in to ORCID email notifications.
- Select a Visibility settings option
- Everyone
- Trusted Organizations
- Only me ORCID connects to other platforms such as database vendors, major publishers, and funding agencies to link your research activities and outputs to your ORCID profile. You control who is allowed to view your ORCID profile.
- Review Terms of Use:
- Consent to data processing by ORCID
Related ORCID support documentation: Building your ORCID record & connecting your iD
When changes are made to any of the fields described below, ORCID offers two selection options for visibility: Edit all visibility settings and Edit individual visibility. The options are the same described in 2.2 Creating an ORCID iD.
Making changes to Edit all visibility will change all field settings to match your selection. For example, if you select Only me, no one else will be able to view details on your profile.
Making changes to Edit individual visibility will change the visibility of the selected field. For example, if you update the Country field and select Everyone, all users will be able to view what country you reside in.
Personal information
Update personal information fields to connect with others on multiple services, promote your personal or portfolio website, or let others know how to contact you.
- Also known as: nicknames and other aliases
- Country: where you reside currently
- Keywords: fields of study and research, interests, etcetera.
- Websites & Social Links: personal websites, portfolios, staff page
- Other IDs: external identifiers such as a GitHub username
- Emails: additional points of email contact
To edit this information, click on the pencil icon ✏️ to the left of the field.
Employment information
Add current or former employers to your profile to share your professional experience.
To add employment, click + Add employment.
Education and qualifications
Add organizations and institutions where you were educated.
Qualifications include certifications, training programs, or accreditations such as:
- Professional and continuing education certifications
- Awarded professional designations
Education includes in-progress, unfinished, and completed higher education programs such as:
- Undergraduate degree
- Graduate degree
- Masters degree
- Doctorate
To add qualifications or education, click + Add qualifications or + Add education.
Invited positions and distinctions
Add invited positions or distinctions to share formal relationships with, but not employment under, organizations and the details of the relationships.
Invited positions indicate formal acknowledgment of academic effort and research impact through honorary titles or invited positions that do not require service, such as:
- Emeritus professor
- Visiting lecturer
- Guest researcher
Distinctions are for when you have received awards, distinctions, honorariums, and prizes from an organization due to your academic effort, research impact, or other achievements such as:
- Honorary degrees
- Cash prizes
- Non-cash prizes
- Trophies or plaques
To add invited positions or distinctions, click + Add invited position or + Add distinction.
Membership and service
Add current or former organizational memberships and activities in service to your profile to share your service to the field.
Membership indicates your belonging to an association, organization, or society.
Service indicates donations of time, knowledge, and other resources to an organization such as:
- Editorial board member
- Conference organizer
- Committee work
- Elected board position
To add membership or service, click + Add service or + Add membership.
Funding
Add current or historical funding information to your profile to share your success in winning or attracting financial support for your research.
To add funding, click + Add funding and then + Add manually. ORCID supports four types of funding:
- Award: Peer-reviewed funding providing direct research costs through competitions.
- Contract: Work commissioned by external agencies or industry, including research contracts awarded by federal agencies and honoraria.
- Grant: Peer-reviewed funding for direct research costs through a competitive application process.
- Salary award: Peer-reviewed award paid as salary to the awardee.
Works
Add works to your profile to share your research activities and outputs.
To add employment, click + Add works.
There are six options for how to add works to your ORCID profile:
- Search & link
- Add ArXiv ID (Identifier)
- Add DOI (Identifier)
- Add PubMed ID (Identifier)
- Import BibTeX
-
- Add manually
Search & link: ORCID is connected to several member organizations that have built-in search and link tools that allow the direct import of information about publications and other works. For a full list of organizations, see Add works by direct import from other systems.
Identifiers (ArXiv ID, DOI, PubMed ID): If a work has an existing identifier, you can use the identifier to import information about the work. Enter the identifier into the Add work form and it will auto-populate the form with the work’s information.
Import BibTeX: The BibTeX import tool is for importing works from systems that do not have pre-existing connections with ORCID., such as Google Scholar Citations. For in-depth support, view Import works using BibTeX.
+ Add manually: If a work does not have an identifier or is not in another ORCID compatible system, you may choose to add it manually. There are four work categories to choose from: Publication Conference Intellectual property Other
Depending on the selected category, a number of work types will appear in the dropdown. For support selecting a work type, view supported work types under Metadata in the ORCID Integration and API FAQ.
If you experience any issues or error messages while registering for an account or adding works, multiple support options are available to you:
- ORCID Documentation
- ORCID Support Contact your librarian [link to librarian directory]
Need hands-on assistance? Contact your librarian [link to librarian directory] to schedule a 1-1 ORCID consult or a short workshop.